


Growing up is never easy - When it all changes: Life, Love and Family in Torchwood - Series 15

by missthingsplace



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Ratings: PG, Series, WIAC:LLAFIT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 21:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missthingsplace/pseuds/missthingsplace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set approx three months after 'Fathers, First Dates and First Kisses'. Eloise finds that life isn't always as simple as it seems when it comes to affairs of the heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

  **AU: When it all changes: Life, Love and Family in Torchwood.  
Title:**  Growing up is never easy  
 **Author:** [**missthingsplace**](http://missthingsplace.livejournal.com/)  
 **Parings/characters:** Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Andy, My OC's: Caden, Eloise, Dylan, Jenni, Claire, Chloe, Damien, Ianto's family.  
 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters ... unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while.  
 **Summary:** Set approx three months after 'Fathers, First Dates and First Kisses'. Eloise finds that life isn't always as simple as it seems when it comes to affairs of the heart.  
 **Spoilers:** Probably not, but you never know ...  
 **Warnings:** None  
 **Rating:** PG

 

 

  
  

 

Eloise pulled out her books, sat down on her bed and with a sigh opened the maths book. She didn't even get past the first problem before the tears began to spill down her cheeks and after wiping them roughly away with the back of her hand she tried to compose herself and carry on her revision but seconds later she was curled up in a ball on the bed sobbing into her arms.  
  
“Ellie, you okay?” Caden's voice called through the door as he tried the handle only to find it locked.

“Go away!” Eloise shouted out to him, her voiced strained with emotion.

“Tell me what's wrong, please?” Caden persisted, hating his sister to be upset. “Has Scott got something to do with this?”

“No, it's not him,” she yelled back. “It's me, I'm a horrible person, just leave me alone!”

“Is something wrong with your sister?” Eloise heard her Dada's voice ask her twin.

“Something or someone has upset Ellie and she's locked herself in,” Dylan replied, his concern clear in his voice.

“Don't worry, you go and get on with your homework,” Ianto told him gently. “I'll talk to her.”

“Where's Dad?” Caden enquired before moving.

“He had some last minute phone calls to make, he'll be home soon,” Ianto answered.

Caden nodded, totally used to one, if not both of his fathers being home late and thankful that Claire was there to look after Dylan and Elizabeth and headed off to his own room.

“Eloise, sweetheart?” Ianto said softly, tapping on the door with his knuckles. “Can I come in?”

When the only response he got was the sound of her sobs through the door he rushed off to his bedroom for their secret weapon, an alien artefact that they had discovered years before that would open any lock and when he returned to his daughters room he gave her one more chance to let him in before using it.

He placed the metal object to the door, it bleeped and whirred for a minute or two and then he heard the lock click open, despite the key still being in place in the door and took in the sight of his eldest daughter curled up on the bed, her body shaking with her sobs.

“Hey, whatever it is, it can't be that bad,” Ianto asked, sitting down beside her and pulling her into a tight hug. “Can it?”

Eloise nodded against his chest and shook in his arms.

Ianto kissed the top of her head and then smoothed over the top of her hair with his hand, doing his best to try and calm her down, never having seen her so distraught.

“I'm a bad person Dada,” she finally said quietly.

“You? You don't have a bad bone in your body!” Ianto answered, rather shocked at her words. “Tell me what's wrong, please?”

“It's Scott, I feel so bad,” she whispered and then broke into fresh sobs.

“Tell me why, is it something you've said, done?” Ianto asked cautiously. “or something you won't do?”

“It's nothing like that Dada,” she told him, knowing exactly what he meant. “Scott isn't pressuring me into anything.”

“Whatever it is can't be that bad then, can it?” Ianto asked gently. “Just speak to me and we can talk about it.”

“There's this new girl in my class, Katie,” Eloise began to explain quietly. “from the day she started two weeks ago we clicked and have spent a lot of time together at break time as well as in any classes we have together … and I think Scott is feeling neglected.”

“That is a bit unfair sweetheart, you two have only been going out for what? Two and a half, three months?” Ianto asked her and she nodded against his chest again. “He must be feeling a little left out, I thought you really liked him?”

“I do really like him and that just makes what I did even worse!” She said.

“I can't help you if you don't tell me what it was you did?” Ianto asked, pushing her gently to confide in him.

“Katie … we were up the far end of the playing field just talking under one of the trees this afternoon when … when she kissed me,” Eloise blurted out.

“That doesn't make you a bad person,” Ianto began but she cut him off.

“But I didn't stop her, I kissed her back Dada,” Eloise admitted. “I kissed her back Dada and … oh Dada!”

“Oh Eloise,” Ianto sighed. “what have you got yourself into?”

“I don't know what to do Dada,” she replied.

“Did Scott see you? Does he know?” Ianto asked her.

“Nope, he has no idea I've betrayed him,” Eloise sighed, her sobs beginning to subside a little. “I have to tell him though, I mustn't keep secrets from him.”

“I think that first you need to work out what you want,” Ianto said to his daughter. “do you like Scott more than Katie? Or are you more attracted to her? You're only sixteen love, you'll meet lots of people you like before you fall in love completely.”

“But I thought I loved Scott!” Eloise stated with a snort. “How will I know for sure?”

“When you meet the right person, it's very unusual for someone of your age to meet the person they are going to spend the rest of your life with at your age,” Ianto answered.

“How did you and Daddy know?” She asked him, reaching for a tissue to wipe at her eyes and then blow her nose noisily.

“It just hit us before we realised it ourselves,” Ianto told her honestly. “I think we fell in love long before either of us could admit it to each other, it seemed to complicated for us to be together at first but we couldn't resist each other.”

“Daddy's pheromones?” Eloise asked with a giggle.

Ianto laughed, hugging her tightly. “That started it but that wasn't love, that took time to grow.”

“Just lust then?” Eloise grinned.

“And just what do you know about lust young lady?” Ianto asked her, trying to looked shocked but them laughing.

“I see it on Scott's face,” Eloise admitted. “he's never said anything, but I think I have a touch of those 51st Century pheromones too.”

“Very possible,” Ianto agreed, frowning a little before relaxing his brow a again. “that could be what spurred Katie into kissing you too.”

“Oh god,” Eloise groaned. “how the hell do I control them?”

“You can't really, you just have to control yourself,” Ianto shrugged. “look, it's up to you if you tell Scott or not. He might be hurt though so you have to weigh the pro's and con's of telling him and it seems to me that you're attracted to girls too so you have a decision of your own to make too. What about Katie, what happened after you kissed?”

“The bell went and we had to go back to lessons, we had different classes so I haven's seen her since,” Eloise replied.

“Then you need to decide which one of them to let down gently,” Ianto told her. “you can't string them both along.”

“I know Dada,” Eloise nodded.

“Good girl, now why don't you go and have a bath and then dinner should be ready,” Ianto smiled. “do you want me to tell Daddy?”

“How does Daddy control his pheromones, himself?” Eloise asked her father.

“You could talk to him, he has more experience in these matters,” Ianto answered. “a lot more.”

“Do you ever get jealous, about how many ex lovers he had before you?” Eloise asked somewhat innocently.

“Nope,” Ianto chuckled. “that's in the past, now do you want me to tell him and get him to talk to you later?”

“Please,” Eloise answered, kissing him on the cheek. “but you've already helped me, you know.”

“Anything for my daughter,” Ianto smiled, grabbing her into another tight hug and kissing her brow. “now go and have that bath while I talk to Daddy, I just heard the car come up the driveway.”

“Thanks again Dada,” she said as he released her and left her room to go down and greet his husband.  
  
TBC


	2. Chapter 2

The front door swung open just as Ianto reached the bottom of the stairs and Jack's face lit up at the sight of his husband, pushing the door closed behind him he reached out to pull the younger man towards him and capturing his lips with his own gave him a tender kiss.

“How did the call to the Prime Minister go?” Ianto asked, still in his husbands arms.

“The same,” Jack answered. “he wanted to know more than I was willing to tell him, we bantered for a while and then he gave up.”

“I don't know why he still bothers after all this time,” Ianto laughed softly. “you'd have thought he would have given up years ago.”

“Perhaps he believes there's no harm in trying,” Jack shrugged. “are the kids all home?”

“Yep, but Eloise was in a bit of a state when I got here,” Ianto began to explain. “I managed to calm her down and get her to tell me what was wrong and I think I helped but I suggested she speak to you later.”

“What's wrong?” Jack asked, his eyes turning to look up the staircase.

“She's more like you than we thought,” Ianto answered. “it seems she's realised that she's not only attracted to boys and an incident today has her confused about how she feels about Scott.”

“Oh? What happened?” Jack asked, taking Ianto's hand in his own as they left the hallway and headed for the living room.

“It seems that she's been spending a lot of time with a new girl, a new friend called Katie,” Ianto explained. “and today Katie kissed her and instead of pushing her away, she responded and kissed her back.”

“She kissed a girl and liked it?” Jack chuckled.

“Yep, and now she doesn't know how she feels about Scott, she thought she loved him,” Ianto continued. “I explained that at her age she'll think that she's in love more than a few times before she finds the person she wants to spend her life with but … she's convinced that she's inherited your pheromones and has no idea how she's meant to control them or herself.”

“She's not at all phased by the idea that she likes girls too?” Jack asked.

“Nope, that seems to be the least of her worries,” Ianto answered. “having two fathers has probably helped along those lines, no, she's more worried about the pheromones from what I can tell and that she feels like she's betrayed Scott.”

“She won't be able to control the pheromones,” Jack sighed, a little bit of panic rising in his voice. “just her response to the reaction they cause in others. Oh shit Ianto, what if she's like I used to be? What if she just reacts like I did to everyone that made a pass at me? Oh god, what … Ianto, this is all my fault!”

“Jack we have always known this was a possibility,” Ianto told him. “our daughter isn't daft, she's not going to jump into bed with every boy or girl she meets.”

“How do we know that?” Jack countered. “she's already kissing a girl she barely knows while she's still dating Scott!”

“She's a teenage girl Jack, they aren't known for making sensible decisions even when they don't have their fathers futuristic pheromones,” Ianto argued softly back. “it could be nothing to do with them at all, just her exploring her sexuality, experimenting.”

“I really hope so,” Jack replied. “I should go and see her.”

“She's having a bath, you can talk after dinner,” Ianto said, squeezing his husbands hand. “how about we go and find Claire and find out what's cooking?”

The aroma of dinner drew then quickly towards the kitchen where they were greeted by two very excitable dogs, despite their advancing years nothing ever stopped them from welcoming their masters home with their tales wagging furiously while they sniffed every inch of them.

“Hey Chewie, Princess,” Jack greeted the dogs, dropping down into his knees and letting them both snuffle through his hair and lick his face excitedly while Ianto turned his attention to the humans in the room.

“Dada, Daddy!” Dylan called out from where he was stood helping Claire at the kitchen table, pastry cutter in his hand and flour all over him.

“Are you being a good boy?” Ianto asked the young child, laughing when Jack nearly tumbled over under the dogs bulk.

“Okay you two, that's enough,” Jack laughed, managing to get to his feet.

The two dog knowing that their game was over for now made their way panting to their beds and made themselves comfortable where they could watch everything that went on in the room.

“He's been a very good boy,” Claire said with a smile. “he's helping me make jam tarts for pudding.”

“With custard!” Dylan exclaimed.

“That sounds yummy,” Jack said, ruffling the boys hair with his hand and sending flour into the air.

“Elizabeth is in her cot having a nap, she should be wanting a feed soon,” Claire informed them, picking out the round shapes Dylan had cut out of the pastry and pressing them in the baking tin. “and Eloise and Caden should be doing their homework.”

“And what about your homework young man?” Ianto asked Caden.

“I only had maths and Claire made me do it before we came out here to cook,” Caden told them with a small huff.

“That's great,” Jack told him with a smile. “so, what's for dinner?”

“Lamb stew and dumplings,” Dylan told them.

“It should be ready to serve once I've got these tarts into the oven,” Claire added. “Perhaps you could let the other to kids know and get them to wash their hands?”

“Consider it done,” Ianto told her and left the room, leaving Jack behind as he was helping to clear the kitchen table ready for their meal.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

During the meal neither Jack or Ianto said anything to Eloise about her dilemma, she was rather subdued and her eyes red rimmed but she ate her meal quickly and then excused herself saying she had lots of homework to do and then quickly headed back up to her bedroom.

“Eloise won't tell me why she's upset,” Caden said once his twin was out of earshot. “she's insisting that she isn't but she seems to have forgotten that we can sense each other moods.”

“It's nothing, just growing up stuff,” Ianto told him, giving Jack a glance that told him to go and talk to their daughter.

“Would you like me to speak to her, woman to woman?” Claire suggested.

“No I already spoken to her but thanks for the offer, it's something that Jack can help her with more than anyone,” Ianto answered as Jack left the room. “she'll be okay. Caden, have you finished your homework?”

“Yes Da,” Caden replied with a small sigh.

“Good, how about you, Dylan and I go for a walk?” Ianto suggested. “We could take Elizabeth in her pram and I'm sure the dogs won't complain about getting out. Claire, would you like to join us?”

“I'd love to, thank you,” Claire replied quickly, guessing that he wanted to give his daughter and husband the house to themselves for a while. “but I'll need to take a feed for Elizabeth with me, she's going to be crying out for it soon.”

“She's awake,” Caden informed them with a smile.

“You and your siblings are never going to be able to hide anything from each other,” Ianto chuckled as he spoke to his eldest son. “Okay, Claire, if you can get Elizabeth and get her ready for our walk then I'll make sure these two put their coats and shoes on and grab a bottle from the fridge for Elizabeth.”

“We'll be back in a jiffy,” Claire smiled and left the kitchen.

“Okay kids, you know the drill, coats and shoes now,” Ianto told them and grabbed a bottle from the fridge for his youngest daughter and put it in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off before placing it in her baby bag and once everyone was ready he reached for the dogs leads. After managing to clip them onto the excited dogs collars they left the house and headed down the road towards the park.

*~*~*

Jack tapped lightly in his daughters bedroom door with his knuckles.

“It's Dad, can I come in?” He called through the door.

“Sure,” Eloise called back, making it sound like she could have said 'whatever'.

“How are you? Da said you were upset earlier?” Jack asked, perching on the edge of her bed where she was under the duvet holding a book. “He said you wanted to ask me something.”

“He told you? About what happened?” Eloise asked, feeling a blush on her cheeks. “Between Katie and I?”

“That she kissed you?” Jack asked and his eldest daughter nodded. “And that you're worried that you've inherited my 51st Century pheromones?”

Eloise nodded again. “You and Da said they attract people to you, how do you control it?”

“You realise it could just be the fact that you are a teenager and exploring the idea of whether you like boys, girls or both?” Jack asked her.

“Da said the same thing, but … I've never had to urge to kiss a girl before and why would she just kiss me out of the blue unless it was the pheromones?” Eloise asked him.

“Because she likes girls and you are extremely beautiful?” Jack answered her with a smile.

“Dad!” Eloise exclaimed.

“It's true,” Jack laughed. “you are beautiful, just like your Da.”

“Do you tell Da that's he's beautiful?” She asked, giggling when Jack nodded. “Oh daddy, you don't call boys beautiful!”

“Sometimes you do,” Jack grinned widely. “now, I can't say for sure if the pheromones are to blame for Katie kissing you or not but what matters more is how you feel about it, and Scott?”

“I liked it,” she admitted. “but I prefer Scott's kisses, but I feel so bad for letting her kiss me.”

“Are you going to tell Scott?” He asked her.

“I want to, I don't want to keep secrets from him but what if he dumps me?” Eloise asked her father, becoming serious again suddenly, her eyes brimming with tears.

“If he dumps you then he doesn't love you, if he does then he'll forgive you even if he's a little hurt,” Jack assured her. “I'm guessing that you want to stay with him and not Katie?”

Eloise nodded vigorously. “I think I love him.”

Jack smiled softly at his daughter. “It may or may not be love, you're only sixteen but that doesn't make it less important. Now what about Katie?”

“I don't want to lose her as a friend, we need to talk,” Eloise answered, sounding much older than her years. “I just don't want to ...”

The sound of Eloise's mobile ringing to let her know she had a text message cut her off mid sentence.

“Do you mind?” She asked her father, reaching for her mobile.

“Go ahead, it could be important,” Jack replied, waiting quietly while she read the message and watched the way her face lit up with her smile.

“It's from Katie, she says she's sorry she kissed me and has no idea what came over her,” Eloise explained. “she hopes that I'm not offended and that I'm still her friend.”

“That's great news,” Jack said, happy for his eldest daughter. “but it looks to me like you may have a touch of my pheromones after all. You can't really control them, they are part of you but if you are around someone you're attracted to, they will become stronger and have the effect that they had on Katie.”

“You mean … I was attracted to Katie?” Eloise gasped.

“It looks that way, but now you know you'd rather have her as a friend it shouldn't happen again,” Jack answered. “Ummm, this isn't something I've ever wanted to ask my own daughter but … when you're with Scott, the both of you … you are able to control yourselves?”

“Daddy!” Eloise exclaimed, blushing bright red. “Just what kind of girl do you think I am?”

“I'm sorry sweetheart,” Jack said, wishing he hadn't even brought it up.

“Look, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Eloise huffed a little. “and Scott is a gentleman, I promise you daddy that you have nothing to worry about.”

“I know, I should never have doubted you but … I wasn't quite so ...” Jack stopped and cleared his throat, not sure how to finish his sentence.

“My own father was a … gigolo,” Eloise giggled.

“Eloise!” It was Jack's turn to exclaim.

“Do you deny it?” Eloise asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Well … no … but that … that was before I met your Da,” Jack stuttered his admittance. “and things were different … back then … I know I shouldn't ...”

“Dad, it's okay,” Eloise laughed. “don't worry, I know all about safe sex and STD's and stuff.”

Jack spluttered in horror and then spotted the look of amusement on his daughters face. “Just promise me that you don't need to put them into practice yet? Or for another 20 years?”

“Of course Daddy,” she grinned and pulled him into a hug, thinking about the condom she'd been given during a Human Biology class in the bottom of her bag and how she and Scott had been talking about taking their relationship a step further. Maybe they should wait a little longer. “not for a while yet.”

“And if you are worried about anything, you'll come to me or Da?” Jack asked her. “Anything at all?”

“Yep,” she smiled, releasing him again as they heard the front door open and the sound of the rest of the family arriving home. “thanks Dad, I should finish my homework now.”

“Can I get you anything? Tea?” Jack asked, hearing his husbands footsteps ascending the stairs.

“I'm fine thanks Dad,” she smiled and picked up a book.

“Okay love,” Jack said and left the room, closing the door behind him and went in search of Ianto, finding him in the nursery, watching Elizabeth dozing in her cot.

“How did it go?” Ianto asked, pressing himself back against Jack's body when his husband wrapped his arms around him from behind.

“Okay I think, she's decided that the kiss was a mistake and that she loves Scott,” Jack informed him. “we had a talk about it all and she's okay. She's had a text from Katie basically saying the same thing and saying she still wants to be her friend, now she just has to decide whether or not to tell Scott what happened.”

“I would really hate to be a teenager again, all those hormones surging around the body and confusing everything,” Ianto sighed.

“Even worse when your throwing out pheromones to almost everyone you're attracted to,” Jack added. “I think she has inherited them, but she's sensible enough to not let herself get led astray.”

“Unlike her father,” Ianto said with a grin, turning in his husbands arms.

“Hey, I've not been like that in a very long time,” Jack pouted.

“I know,” Ianto replied, pressing his lips softly to the older man's. “sometimes I wonder just what it is about me that keeps you monogamous?”

“Being married to the most beautiful man on earth, a man who can put up with me and even give birth to my child,” Jack stated. “I don't need anyone other than the man I love.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Ianto groaned, pressing close to his husband body and kissed him again, this time more deeply before leading him out of the nursery and into their own room, locking the door behind them. “Think you can be quiet?”

“Mmmm,” Jack mumbled, nibbling on the younger man's neck.

“Then I suggest you show this beautiful man just how much you love him my gorgeous husband,” Ianto whispered.

“Always,” Jack murmured into his ear and pulling his shirt free from his trousers.

The End.

'Verse continued in 'The Trick Is To Keep Breathing' A WIP currently ...


End file.
